[VFB] Fishing Report

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 09:14:06 -0700

Just got back from Montana last night- missed all of the action seeing Casper Mountain burn.  Looks like a giant black anthill this morning.  Really smells like smoke, too.  If you want to see photos, look here:
 
 
Spent a few days with friends in Bigfork, and was planning to fish a few days.  But my knee wouldn't have it, as it's been acting up pretty bad the last week- almost didn't make the trip.  Spent a lot of the time there gimped up.
 
OK, fishing.  Had to cancel a float trip down the Flathead- bummer.  Took some meds Monday and took Buggs wade-fishing on the N. Fork of the Flathead on the West side of Glacier Park (which, too, is on fire).
 
Had a great afternoon of dry-fly fishing.  The fly shops said to use hoppers, and I tried 4 or 5 patterns, with only a couple of half-hearted attempts by fish to eat them.  So I went back to the fly I used a couple of years ago, the dark brown #14 parachute emerger, which I had great success on.  Man, they liked that fly.  First cast with that fly landed my first fish, a nice 16" native.  But that kinda put the fish in the run down for a little, so I parked on a log for a few to give my knee a break.  Then I went back and worked the fly again.  ON the first float- wham- a hit and a miss.  2nd cast- same.  3rd- same.  Something wrong.  I inspected the fly and the bend of the hook was snapped off- must have ticked a rock on a back-cast.  Tied on a lighter version and no takers.  Tied on another dark choc. one and bam- another fish.  Took it within a second of the touchdown.
 
It wasn't the best spot that I had picked, as the river-drifters were starting to flock into the near-by landing.  But between drifters, I was able to raise a few more nice ones- winning the 'Row vs Wade' debate for the day.  After a few hours, my knee said "Enough" (or was that Buggs getting bored?), so I packed it in and headed back to Bigfork.
 
The pattern is very similar to the swap-pattern I submitted for Martin's Paraloop Swap.  The site is below.  The tail is rope-dubbed dark-brown dubbing with a very fine gold wire wrapped in between the ropes, hardly visable on the dry body, but more visable once the fly is wet.  Another fly that worked was a dark brown tail with a black vinyl d-rib (midge-size) wrapped between the rope segments.  The white Winger wings were tied in delta-wing style, with cree parachute hackle around a white polar-bear post.  The tail was Cd'L speckled, with a few strands tied in below the thorax pointing down for good measure.  It's a very 'buggy-looking' pattern that hangs well below the 'chute' and is highly visable in the riffles.
 
 
Next time I plan to take my pontoon lick-boat to float that river- looks excellent for that.
 
Jim B.,  meant to call you to see if Duck Lake was possible, but my knee was just not letting me plan anything.
 
DonO

Reply via email to